PROBLEM 14.

1
KNOWN: Mixture of O2 and N2 with partial pressures in the ratio 0.21 to 0.79.
FIND: Mass fraction of each species in the mixture.
SCHEMATIC:

pO2 0.21
=
p N2 0.79

MO = 32 kg / kmol
2

M N = 28 kg / kmol
2

ASSUMPTIONS: (1) Perfect gas behavior.

ANALYSIS: From the definition of the mass fraction,
ρ ρ
mi = i = i
ρ Σρi
Hence, with
pi pi Mp
ρi = = = i i.
R i T ( ℜ / M i ) T ℜT
Hence
M i p i / ℜT
mi =
Σ M i p i / ℜT
or, canceling terms and dividing numerator and denominator by the total pressure p,
Mi x i
mi = .
ΣMi x i
With the mole fractions as
0.21
x O 2 = pO2 / p = = 0.21
0.21 + 0.79
x N 2 = p N 2 / p = 0.79,

find the mass fractions as

32 × 0.21
mO 2 = = 0.233 <
32 × 0.21 + 28 × 0.79

m N 2 = 1 − mO2 = 0.767. <